Many electronic applications can be created with combinations of electronic modules connected together, and it is convenient to have all the modules for a particular purpose supported in a single structure. A common example is a household stereo component system, which might include a radio receiver, various media players, content storage, and an amplifier. A more modern example would be a server farm. Electronic modules conventionally have signal and power couplings on the rear wall, or “back plane” of the module and controls and visual displays on the front wall, or “front plane”, of the module.
The basic structure for supporting a plurality of electronic modules is a rack. Racks come in a variety of standard sizes to accommodate correspondingly-sized electronic modules. The standard sizes for racks and components are established by various industry organizations. A rack with side, top, and rear panels is referred to as a cabinet. As the size of electronic devices has shrunk, smaller modules and racks have entered the market. In particular, half-racks, which are half-width racks as compared to an established standard for racks, are of concern in this application. “Half-rack”, as used and defined herein, means a half-width rack or cabinet. “Tall half-rack”, as used and defined herein, means a half-width rack or cabinet that is tall enough to accommodate a vertically mounted full-rack module. “Full-rack” as used and defined herein, means a full width rack (i.e., a nineteen inch rack) or cabinet that can support full-width modules horizontally.
Recurring challenges in half-rack technology are to provide a compact package which still provides full functionality.
Therefore, a need exists for a half-rack cabinet that provides for mixing half-rack modules and full rack modules in the same half-rack.